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How Auburn might be able to stop Johnny Manziel (analysis)

johnny manziel

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) is tackled by Mississippi defensive back Mike Hilton (28) in the first half of an NCAA college football game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

The Texas A&M quarterback is elusive, yes, but he's also smart and capable of making a move before a defense knows what to do. The Heisman winner is one of the best players to ever play college football, and few have figured out how to stop him.

"There isn't a good way to defend him," said Andy Staples, a college football writer and X's and O's guru for Sports Illustrated. "The teams that have defended him well have had good corners who can work by themselves and lighter, faster defensive linemen and linebackers. It's not a coincidence that LSU and Florida defended him well last year and Alabama struggled last season and this season. Alabama's defense is built to handle the power run game between the tackles (basically, LSU's offense from 2008-12) and harass the quarterback into throwing interceptions."

Simply put, if No. 24 Auburn wants to knock off No. 7 Texas A&M and Manziel on Saturday, it needs to prove it has super talented players on defense, especially in the box, that are capable of changing direction without much hesitation.

Is it impossible to stop Manziel? This year? Perhaps.

But there are some hints and signs that Manziel is not nearly as invincible as some think. One only has to look at his games against Florida and LSU -- both losses -- last season, when those elite defenses cut off Manziel's legs and limited him to a combined 87 yards on 34 carries.

Some of it was scheme, sure, but most of the success is a credit to the talent level on the Gators' and Tigers' respective defenses. Said Staples: Basically, a team needs a pair of NFL corners, a future NFL defensive end capable of challenging first-round prospect Jake Matthews at left tackle and "linebackers who run like deer."

That's tough to find, even in the SEC.

"He's a guy that presents so many issues because there's no defense to cover him for another time," Florida coach Will Muschamp said. "Now you have to rely on athleticism in space and you've got to have some playmakers on the back end to make some plays. That's what we were able to do. We tried as best as we could to keep him in the pocket and push the pocket to where he couldn't create those off-rhythm plays because that's where he creates so many explosive (plays) down the field."

Manziel threw for 276 yards against LSU but was also intercepted a career-high three times. He completed only 51.8 percent of his passes, too, which is his worst mark yet.

This year Manziel has shown little in the way of weakness, even against the uber-talented teams such as top-ranked Alabama. He's averaging 357 passing yards (75.9 completion percentage) to go along with 90 rushing yards in each SEC game.

The Tide found out the hard way last season just how difficult it is to defend Manziel in a loss. Some teams, like the Tide last season, choose to press Manziel's receivers, but often lose in one-on-one situations.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel looks toward the jumbotron during a timeout during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, in Oxford, Miss. Texas A&M won 41-38. (AP Photo/The Daily Mississippian, Austin McAfee)

There are several options, sure, but Manziel has a way of wrecking the best of plans. Some defensive coordinators decide to limit Manziel in one area -- passing or rushing -- and leave the other open.

"I really don't know how we do that," Auburn defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson said. "They're so balanced, if you try to take one element away, I really think the other element is going to beat you just as bad. What you have to do, anytime you have a team like them, that has good players at every spot, you have to get it out of your mind that you're going to stop them. You have to disrupt them, you have to slow them down, you have to get some takeaways, you have to play really good in the red zone."

If Auburn has an advantage on paper Saturday, it's the red-zone defense. The Tigers are holding opponents to a 70-percent scoring conversion inside the 20-yard line. That's tied for 14th in the country. They're also at their best in the fourth quarter, when offenses convert only 13 percent of their third downs. Auburn has allowed only two scores in the fourth quarter.

Manziel's mistakes usually occur in tight spaces. He has ball security issues near the line of scrimmage, and it might not be a bad idea if a few of Auburn's linemen and linebackers sell out and try to strip the ball, Staples said.

Three of Manziel's five interceptions this season have occurred inside the red zone. He's completing only 59.4 percent of his passes inside the 20-yard line, but has still managed to score 16 touchdowns (11 passing, five rushing).

His performance in the red zone might be the lone -- ever so slight -- crack in Manziel's armor. It's also Auburn's strength on defense.

"We have to be able to contain Manziel," Malzahn said Thursday. "He's very good at what he does. Nobody has contained him yet, so our defense has a big job, but our defensive staff has a great plan. They're doing a great job and we'll see what happens."